This invention relates to a device for recording and playing data streams of audio, video and related information. This invention also relates to a device for displaying Electronic Program Guide (EPG).
Recently, in order to cope with enormous amounts of contents in digital broadcasting age coming in the near future, it is promoted that image compression technique and capacity enlargement technique for recording media, such as optical disk, magnetic disk and so on are strongly developed.
Generally, a video data stream encoded and compressed by MPEG 2 is transmitted at 6 Mbps data rate with SDTV quality or 22 Mbps data rate with HDTV quality per content. Compared with non-compressed contents, MPEG 2 can substantially decrease an amount of video data streams. The beginning of digital broadcasting causes an increase of contents to occur on one hand. On the other hand, unit costs of recording media have been remarkably reduced recently.
However, it is practically impossible at the present that viewers record all of broadcast programs and watch favorite one of the programs at any time the viewers request.
In the U.S.A. and Europe, digital broadcasting has been already provided. In Japan, CS (Communication Satellite) has provided digital broadcasting already, and terrestrial broadcasting and BS (Broadcasting Satellite) is ready for digital broadcasting. Digital broadcasting brings about enormous amounts of contents and, as a result, forcibly makes viewers select programs that they really want to watch from the enormous amounts of the contents.
Actually, a conventional video recorder/player comprises a recording medium which is too small in memory capacity to record all of contents broadcast. However it is useful to record only latest programs that belong to such as news program, weather forecast program and so on.
Further, there is no conventional video recorder/player such as that comprises a plurality of recording media including a random access device and manages all of the recording media under unified user interface such as management of copying among the media. When we record video signals by the conventional video recorder/player, we have to operate respective media. EPG has been adopted in order to assist a viewer to select a favorite program from enormous programs. However, EPG is to display information about programs that are being broadcast currently or will be broadcast in the future. Namely, a conventional EPG is not used to display information about past contents. Furthermore, typical conventional EPG as shown in FIG. 1 is hardly useful for a viewer to select a program.
The following information is provided to disclose pertinent information that is relevant to the subject of the present invention. The documents, which are believed to be pertinent to the present invention, are "An EPG device and a method for EPG management" (Japanese Pat. public No. H10-150611), "Television receiver" (Japanese Pat. public No. H10-13756), "A device for recording and playing information" (Japanese Pat. public No. H10-255393), "A device for displaying and managing electronics program guide" (Japanese Pat. public No. H9-298697), "A display controller" (Japanese Pat. public No. H8-251496) and "System and method for calling video on demand using an electronic programming guide" (U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,282).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a video recorder/player that records contents for a predetermined time, or predetermined number of programs, of at least one channel without Viewer's intention. This video recorder/player constantly records definite amount of latest contents. Consequently, the viewer can always watch a current broadcast program from the beginning even if the viewer starts to watch in the middle of the program time. The video recorder/player doesn't have to record all of contents so that required amount of its recording medium capacity is riot so large.
It is another object of the invention to provide a video recorder/player that starts to record contents simultaneously with viewer's conscious operation for recording contents without delay.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a video recorder/player that displays EPG for listing not only current and future program information but also past program information and offers unified interface to the viewer in reference with the EPG, the viewer can tune into current programs or reserve to record future programs and moreover can operate the video recorder/player for playing back past programs in a manner like the current and the future programs.
According to this invention, a video recorder for recording content signals including audio and video signals, comprises a module for receiving program information signals designating a program identifier, starting and ending time of a program, a first storage device, a first recording module for continuously recording the content signals at least one channel in the first storage device, and a module for deleting the content signals of the oldest program recorded in the first storage device in reference with the program information signals.
The video recorder may further comprise a second storage device and a second recording module for recording content signals in the second storage device according to a direction given from outside of the video recorder in order to record contents.
The second recording module may comprise a direct recording module for recording current content signals which are currently received by the video recorder in the second storage device without recording in the first storage device, an indirect recording module for copying content signals that have been recorded in the first storage device into the second storage device, and a module for merging content signals recorded by both the direct recording module and the indirect recording module.
The second recording module may copy content signals in order of the data stream of the content signals from the first storage device to the second storage device. In this case, the second recording module may be operable in parallel with the first recording module. The second recording module may be operated after operation of the first recording module.
The video recorder may further comprise a third storage device for storing the program information data signals, and an EPG creating module for creating EPG signals that designate electronic program guide (EPG) listing program titles and viewing times of past, current and future programs. In this case, the video recorder may further comprise reservation management module for managing reservation to be going to record a future program, wherein the EPG creating module creates the EPG, signals which denote that one program reserved by the reservation management module is distinct from the other programs. The video recorder may further comprise a module for composing video signals from content signals and the EPG signals. The EPG creating module may create the EPG signals that denote that one program recorded in the first storage device is distinct from the other programs. The video recorder may further comprise interface for connecting with at least one external storage device, and a module for managing the storage device(s) as the first, second, and/or third storage device(s).
The first storage device may belong to random access storage device. The second storage device may belong to sequential access storage device.